This weekly newsletter for academic leaders is designed to share information of interest to the university community.
Three key messages to amplify
For the 11th week of spring semester, please amplify these messages with your areas of the university community.
- Please join the provost for the State of Academic Affairs. After the Senate meeting concludes Thursday afternoon (March 25), Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce A. McPheron will present the State of Academic Affairs. The speech will be followed by a Senate Q&A that will be moderated by Susan Cole, the chair of Faculty Council. Find the Zoom link and other information about the State of Academic Affairs on the OAA website.
- Colleges and units may plan commencement events. Most events and gatherings remain under a moratorium, but colleges and units may plan commencement events under the guidance announced Friday. All commencement events must obtain approval in advance for their health and safety protocols.
- Remember the conversion day after the instructional break. Instructors should remind students that April 2 (a week from Friday) is a conversion day, so classes that are normally held on Wednesdays will be held that day. This day will come after the second instructional break (March 31-April 1), when no classes will be held. Academic assignments should reflect that students are not expected to be working those days.
Share your story: How are you teaching?
As part of the Innovate conference, instructors and students are invited to share stories, reflections and concrete advice about how they adapted their teaching, learning and ways of connecting over the past year. Submissions are due Sunday, April 4 through the How Are You Teaching? form (for instructors) or the How Are You Learning? form (for students). Submissions may be shared as part of the Innovate conference (May 5) and on the Drake Institute website.
Upcoming events
- At 1 p.m. Tuesday (March 23), Planning for Your Online Course will offer guidance for creating supportive learning environments and meaningful student engagement.
- At 2 p.m. Wednesday (March 24), What Do I Do in the Moment? Addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice Issues in Teaching will identify strategies and classroom policies for encountering racism, implicit bias and microaggressions in the classroom. This session is sponsored by the University of Cincinnati as part of the Ohio Professional Development Consortium.
- At 6 p.m. Wednesday (March 24), Stephanie G. Adams, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, will deliver the keynote address in the Our Inclusive Path Forward series, "Houston, We Have a Problem: Why Diversity Matters in STEM, and How it Promotes Collaborative Learning."
- At 10:30 a.m. Thursday (March 25) Guiding Students to Wellness will share tangible skills that introduce faculty, staff and graduate and professional students can use to help students access wellness-related resources on campus, specifically highlighting nutrition/food insecurity, mental health, sexual violence and financial wellness.
- On Thursday (March 25), the provost will present the State of Academic Affairs, which will include a moderated discussion. The address will start at the conclusion of the University Senate meeting, which will begin at 3:30 p.m.
- At 2 p.m. next Monday (March 29), Teaching About Violence will discuss challenges and concerns that surround topics related to violence (such as war, genocide, hate crimes and sexual violence) and provide instructors with strategies for facilitating generative classroom experiences.
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